Prices for key foods are rising sharply

Source: McClatchy Newspapers



Prices for key foods are rising sharply

By Kevin G. Hall

August 14, 2007


MIDLAND, Va. — The Labor Department’s most recent inflation data showed that U.S. food prices rose by 4.1 percent for the 12 months ending in June, but a deeper look at the numbers reveals that the price of milk, eggs and other essentials in the American diet are actually rising by double digits.

Already stung by a two-year rise in gasoline prices, American consumers now face sharply higher prices for foods they can’t do without. This little-known fact may go a long way to explaining why, despite healthy job statistics, Americans remain glum about the economy.

Meeting with economic writers last week, President Bush dismissed several polls that show Americans are down on the economy. He expressed surprise that inflation is one of the stated concerns.

“They cite inflation?” Bush asked, adding that, “I happen to believe the war has clouded a lot of people's sense of optimism.”........

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/18902.html

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I dare say---the Pres has not stuck by a food budget recently!

"Let them eat cake"... yea that about sums it up.

...cake takes milk and eggs to make, so I'll need a raise to even afford to make cake....

n/t

Meadow muffins. Barnyard buns.

own, wherever there's a little land or rooftop!

Which might account for Little Boots' confusion, since I'm sure he doesn't pay much attention to the numbers they run past him.

it to him he's lost. I think most of his ten year olds have jumped ship like the rest of his administration. Heck even the insane ones are starting to edge toward the exits.

with a grocery reciept. I'd be asking him to give the current price of something...like milk. The guy hasn't been through a grocery checkout line in goodness knows when.

He just opens his mouth and removes all doubt.

1. Open mouth.
2. Insert foot.
3. Chew vigorously.
4. Open mouth.
5. Exchange feet.
6. Go to 3.

Hell, this has been going on for several years! Each month I am having a harder and harder time managing my food budget. My Mom is having the same problem. :(

There are droughts and other conditions that are going to bring food prices up. From what I understand, wheat is rising due to crop failures.

Corn and other grain prices are being effected by bio-fuels.

Add the influence of oil at every step of the agricultural process and without some sort of instant magic, food is going to continue to become more impacting. Maybe we can get some rain where it is needed from that cloud over our optimism?

It is time for those who can to consider alternatives if rising food prices look foreboding. Fresh foods and produce have and are getting very expensive in relation to processed, zombie foods because the ingredients used are cheaper and kept artificially low.

Taking action and dealing with this can be a smart step. It is even a way to go a bit organic and have a better impact on the environment, if that is your concern. If you have some space with sun exposure, (and no restrictions from neighbors or home owner's associations) you can start gardening, alone, or in association with your neighbors. If you don't have space, then maybe you can start a community garden. But I have one, important caveat:

Don't try to grow produce the "old fashioned way". Look into:

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

SFG takes a small cash outlay to get started and just some mindful planning. You can do this organically and without commercial pesticides and fertilizers, as well. The important point is that it produces far more crops and is much less labor-intensive than row gardening for the larger percent of fruits and vegetables.

The best part is, it does not matter how bad your soil is and you don't have to break your back tiling or when weeding. This method also takes less water and you can even use rain-barrels to catch ANY rain in case your area is drought-afflicted.

There is more that can be done if you and your family and neighbors have the space and the will to start moving in steps towards more self-sufficiency. If you can co-op, then everybody can share or barter their extra produce. Of course, this is also a good time to learn how to can foods safely so that you can store up good foods over the Winter months.

Yes, it is certainly starting to look like the 21st Century will be pointing us backwards at important skills and ideas we have lost as we gave the responsibility for our most crucial needs to somebody else.

This can be a better time or a bad time, depending on whether you are a grasshopper or an ant.

pots for awhile and I want to expand to more vegetables that I use often.

It works great and looks pretty good to. Don't overdo it as the site and book recommend.

I am going to expand mine next growing season. People really get interested in this when they see it and you tell them how much you produce versus how much money, time, and effort goes into it. I find myself teaching people the simple basics.

NOTE: For those who have or buy older versions of the SGF book, (originally published in 1981) the author is kind and generous enough to give you the updates of new and improved methods he has developed over the years, right there on the site!

The book is great because it gives you just about all the practical info you need about growing your own food, from starting times for various crops to soil and composting.

Oh, and another thing, you don't need to use tons of seeds for this method. One packet can last you years if you store them right.

It's all good!

the problem is that I have no idea (city roots). I have the land, etc.

Can anyone recommend an easy how-to book for BEGINNERS?

I'm sick of paying the high prices for foods I can grow!

HELP!!! }(

For Square Foot Gardening? It is for absolute beginners and I think you will have everything you need to get a thriving, productive set of squares going to the point that the output will surprise you.

That is the best way to get started, IMHO. I am not affiliated with the site or the author. I have had the book since it came out and gave it a go when the signs of the times said, "GET GOING!" I was glad to see the updates online and it really makes it more simple and easy to do.

Heck, kids could do it with a little help :)

This is the one that I have, although I have an older edition.

http://www.amazon.com/Square-Foot-Gardening-Garden-Space/dp/B000GYI1V0/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/105-8561644-6429216?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187133338&sr=8-3

He goes through all you need to know - how to deal with soil (amending it, starting from scratch, killing off some grass without chemicals), how to set up a simple garden, and a simple planting plan.

But don't get too overwhelmed. Think of gardening as a multi-year learning process. Start with the soil preparation this fall so that by next spring, you'll be ready to jump in.

Over the winter, think of what sort of food you'd like to grow. Do you eat tomatoes? Beans? Lettuce? Radishes? Raspberries? The first spring, I'd recommend buying a few plants to put in your garden. You could start plants from seeds, but I wouldn't recommend starting your entire garden this way. If your seeds fail, you'll probably be put off by the whole thing. Get a couple of plants from your local grocery store or nursery and take care of them.

Things like radishes and beans are easy to start from seed, but tomatoes or broccoli isn't necessarily for the beginner. Not everything will grow at the same time - around here, I can plant beans in June, but they won't do anything until July so there isn't really any point. If I plant lettuce in July, it simply wilts and then goes quickly to seed even in the shade.

The nice thing about Mel's idea is that it really keeps the weeds to a minimum. You're working with smaller plots (4x4, although I have a couple of 2x4 beds as well) so it is easy to keep on top of them.

Raspberries and strawberries are also easy to grow. I bought six strawberry plants two years ago, and now I have over 50 of them. They all produced like crazy early this summer. Raspberry canes are easy to transplant, so if you know someone who has them, ask to dig up a couple. They do spread a bit, so it is best to keep them somewhat contained (I have them trained along one edge of my fence that surrounds my garden, and in August they're still producing.

they eat everything I was told and you have to spray with chemicals (something I won't do as I have pets).

Any ideas on how to deal with slugs?

Because I live in the Pacific Northwest, and slugs are a constant problem. I do not use chemicals in my garden, and that includes pest control.

Beer. Cheap beer. Big glass 40 oz bottles of beer. Just take a few small plastic containers - like individual yogurt containers or cottage cheese containers - and sink them in the soil until the rim is about level with the soil. Fill with beer.


Empty the dead slugs out in the morning (on edit: throw them out of your garden!), and repeat. If you let them fester for a few days in the hot sun, the beer/slug mixture is pretty disgusting. Trust me on this. :rofl:

I have to do this pretty much from early spring until July or so, when it gets warm enough that they aren't out in great numbers. Also, if you go out in the early morning, you can pick the little ones right off the plants and flick them into the beer. The medium and big slugs go right for the beer, but the baby ones aren't as attracted. Luckily, they aren't as voracious eaters.

If you get soft bodied insects that infest your plants - like aphids - then go to your nursery and pick up a mesh bag of live ladybugs. I think I pay about $3 for 1000 ladybugs. You let them off in the cool of the evening and they'll feast and reproduce and take care of the aphids (or any other soft bodied insects).

thanks for the tips! :thumbsup: :D

they got most of my cherries and corn this year and they are not shy and don't run away. One squirrel stuffed himself so full of cherries earlier this year that he couldn't move off my deck railing. at least they let me have the first 10 ears of corn (I only planted about 24) before they took over the harvest of that too.

This is my second year and I'm producing good for my investment, but the squirrels beat me to it every time.

I've never seen them in the garden. They're kept fairly happy eating my chicken feed, though. Maybe they're lazy squirrels?

One of my three cats is a stray and he keeps the squirrels away from the house. They used to walk up on my porch all time.

It's like a game the squirrels play with them, never getting caught.

You can easily "cage" many crops because it is easy and economical in small areas. There are various caging and netting ideas in the book.

Corn and Cherries might present you with problems though. I imagine you can find some tips on squirrels on the Net.

this year (last year was the first attempt at container gardening). I added tomatoes and peppers. My strawberries were a no go-but every thing else is going to town. I joined a co-op and get good organic veggies. I still have to stop into the store but it is more for staples. I am actually spending less and getting more and better quality. If I need more-I go to the farmer's market. I have almost totally cut out the middle man and it has made a BIG difference. We eat good in this house and it is cheaper too.

needed it, but then I planted Basil and I had no idea how fast it grew! My poor parsley got wiped out by the heat.

to the co-op folks today. I think I can do an exchange with them for either monetary credit or produce. Maybe you should barter with a neighbour or talk to some folks at your farmers market. You might have a win-win. My landlord loves the peppers and I give much away to neighbors (they are pts at the nearby medical center). You could have a win-win situation.

I came up with a little twist of my own. I didn't want to bother with plowing up any of our lawn (which is very sandy anyway), so I bought a large plastic stock tank. My husband drilled a lot of holes in it and then we filled it with the soil mix recommended in the book. It works great.

I had to rework my square foot garden this year, as I fenced in the whole thing to keep the deer out. I'll have to pick everything up again this fall and put chicken wire underneath the beds as there is some sort of mole or something that is making occaisonal forays into my garden.

The only thing I've been unsuccessful at growing in my square foot garden is carrots. But I've managed to grow some french market carrots (round ones - ball shaped) in large plastic pots in the garden.

Also on the sort-of-self-sufficient front, many cities allow for up to three hens. I know a few families that have 50x100' lots and have hens for eggs. (Roosters aren't needed for egg production, in case anyone is wondering/doesn't know). I have a half an acre, so my hens can wander freely. They keep the bug population down, produce great fertilizer for my compost pile, and each gives me an egg a day.

I hope more SFG gardeners will help others and share their results here, and with friends and neighbors. It is a great way to act on a problem we face, and that feels good. Tastes really good, too!

Yes, it mostly works, but there is some experimentation with certain crops depending on the climate and such. Also, once you get into it, you can adjust soil and fertilizer to help improve the results.

Chickens: Good idea! There is NOTHING like the color and taste of fresh, home-grown chicken eggs. They are so delicious and healthy as a food and for protein. The environment of these chickens helps a lot. Right now, I get them from my neighbors as they always have a good surplus during the season. I plan to go with just a wee bit of live-stock like chickens, ducks, and a nanny goat or two for milk and cheese. Of course, it helps to live in a more rural area to do that.

Again, I will remind everyone that canning is a good "technology" to get into. It is not all that hard to learn and do. A pressure cooker, a book, and a supply of jars, canning salt, and a few tools is all you need. Depending on where you live, and your freezer space, you will want to store up your bounty for the Winter months and longer.

I just ordered the New square foot gardening book for my mom. She's been wanting to start another fruit and vegetable garden but has been stressing about tilling the soil. Problem solved!

but if you live in California or other western dry areas, ignore the advice on watering. The author has obviously never gardened in the West, where we don't see rain for 6 months and the humidity can get well below 30%. Watering by hand with a cup, every several days, does not give the plants enough water; they need much more than the book advises.

I water every day, using recycled milk jugs as "burblers". Just poke holes in the bottom portion and stick the hose in: plants get watered, and soil does not wash away.

I'm in year three of SFG and love it. I am amazed at how much food I can grown in my little teeny urban backyard. It's absolutely a great system, and it's so much easier than conventional gardens.

Great post all around!

Edited to add: Anyone who hasn't noticed the drastic, upward creep of the cost of basic foodstuffs isn't doing their own shopping.

I just thought it was a nice donation to the store.

at $4.00 a gallon I could make a good business

INCREDIBLE

Meeting with economic writers last week, President Bush dismissed several polls that show Americans are down on the economy. He expressed surprise that inflation is one of the stated concerns.

“They cite inflation?” Bush asked, adding that, “I happen to believe the war has clouded a lot of people's sense of optimism.”

But the inflation numbers reveal the extent to which lower- and middle-income Americans are being pinched.

Welcome to the perfect storm(s). Severe unpredictable climate change affects crops, migrant worker round-ups affect food production, war and deranged economic policies of US government affect fuel prices.

No clear skies ahead either.

woman: excuse me sir, how much is this gallon of milk?

man: let me check on the computer...let's see...3.80, no wait, 3.90, hang on, 4.00 bucks, damn, 4.50, lady you better buy it now!

Long Live The King.

What a steal!

“…God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty.”

Thomas Jefferson - November 13, 1787
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“And to preserve their independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude.”

Thomas Jefferson – July 12, 1816
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“I have come to a resolution myself as I hope every good citizen will, never again to purchase any article of foreign manufacture which can be had of American make be the difference of price what it may”

Thomas Jefferson – February 26, 1815
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“The contest for all ages, has been to rescue Liberty from the grasp of executive power.”

Senator Daniel Webster - May 27, 1834
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“He has been called a mediocre man; but this is unwarranted flattery. He was a politician of monumental littleness”

Theodore Roosevelt, writing of John Tyler. (Certainly sounds like Dubya to me)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends… That if they stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them”

Adlai E. Stevenson - September 10, 1952
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within. The essential causes of Rome’s decline lay in her people, her morals, her class struggle, her failing trade, her bureaucratic despotism, her stifling taxes, her consuming wars”

Will Durant, Caesar and Christ, Epilogue, page 665 (1944)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“If all that Americans want is security, they can go to prison. They will have enough to eat, a bed, and a roof over their heads. But if an American wants to preserve his dignity and his equality as a human being, he must not bow his head to any dictatorial government.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower - December 8, 1949
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ann Coulter: If I were your wife, I’d put poison in your coffee.
Bill Clinton: If I were your husband, I’d drink it!

NOT REALLY!!!

and welcome to DU!

:rofl: @ the last one

Either that or he thinks people are "morans".

Debt and the fear of not being able to pay it back seems more likely right now.

We really needed the Labor Frickin' Department to tell us this?

:eyes:

for one gallon of locally produced organic milk.

:dem:

And with "demand" supposedly helping to fuel the high price, I was kind of pissed that they were offering 2 gallons for $6.50.

It's more like 25% inflation according to my wallet.

he would be an idiot.

just wow

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otherwise it turns to mush in 9 hours.

I stock up on the tough cuts when they are on sale

I buy lamb shoulder and neck parts

I am also buying boneless pork ribs

I brown then put in the crockpot with a can or two of chopped tomatoes

I don't season until I get home. I am using a Lebanese spice mixture by Gardenia called Sojok.
http://www.gardeniaspices.com/product.asp

It is a mixture of cumin, coriander, allspice, chili, garlic, fenugreek, clove, mahleb and nutmeg

I precook my veggies in the microwave before folding in, sometimes carrots, or cauliflower, green beans, corn or vegetable mixtures.

Then serve on rice.

I cook barley once a week and eat it for breakfast warm with pumpkin pie spice and a bit of sugar and or cold for lunch as a grain salad.

Nobody who buys their own groceries could believe the government's inflation statistics.

With energy prices so high, farmers are having to pass their costs on to the consumer. But now with his ridiculous pursuit of corn based ethanol, Bush has driven food prices even higher. Corn based ethanol is nothing but a give-away to Bush's buddies at ADM and Monsanto. As available crop and grazing land is eaten up for corn, other foods become scarcer. Grazing land becomes tight, feed corn is high, all these prices are passed on to you and me. Yet the funny thing is that ethanol, despite its hype, can provide nowhere near enough fuel to fill our transportation needs even if every single acre is planted in corn.

The long term effects of this policy could easily result in much less fertile cropland for decades to come. Corn is a hard crop on the ground, sucking up large quantities of minerals and nutriients. The ordinary three or four crop rotation solves this problem, especially if lifestock are grazed. But agribusiness is going all in on corn, planting without rotation. This is the second year that I've seen land planted over in corn. If this continues harvests will shrink dramatically as prices rise.

There is a biofuel that will solve our problems, but it isn't ethanol, it is biodiesel. Since you can use oil bearing algae as a feedstock you don't use one acre of cropland. It has been calculated that fifteen thousand square miles of algae will provide all of our fuel needs. This is easily achievable, and would actually be another economic boon for farmers and cities alike.

However in the short, and possibly long term I would suggest that if you can, start planting a garden. Not only is the food you grow yourself better and more nutricious for you, but it saves you money. Canning and preserving your own food is easy to learn, and easy to do.

shoot me now if i have to ever pickle another cucumber or can another can of apple butter, i hope these are skills i will never need again

as long as we have electricity anyway, might as well use the freezer for preserving food, that is something that actually IS easy, and i have the impression (which i hope is correct) that quick frozen food retains much more of nutrients than canned

the cost of canning supplies went thru the roof here a few years back anyway so that's another issue

of course you are undoubtedly a more gifted person than i am, but for the klutzes like myself, a good way to save a little money is to grow the very easy items like certain herbs and maybe some greens in a cool spot (either in winter or indoors)

But the cukes and tomatos we're canning. Making our own sauce, pickles, etc. Yeah, its a pain but :shrug:

Gifted? Hah! Not really, I hadn't done a garden, or canning, since I was a kid. Some things, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, etc. I can grow. Other stuff like potatos and onions, eh, not so much. I'm learning though. I'm going to try growing some herbs next year, we'll see.

Not to mention that most of the country is suffering drought conditions, which will most definitely lead to higher prices.

Many, if not most of us, cannot rest secure in our jobs. We know that our companies may be forced to downsize or even close due to unforeseen changes. For example, my cousin thought he had the perfect job with one of the largest, most secure accounting firms in the world--y'all remember Arthur Anderson? Yeah. Folks who thought they could count on good incomes find that a sudden illness or accident can destroy everything they have. The Bush family will never face that sort of fear--they have trust funds and family connections so that even a failed business just means a new start in something else, with never a missed "pay by" date, never an "overdue mortgage" to worry about. OF COURSE he doesn't understand having a "clouded sense of optimism"!!

Maybe because oranges are a dollar apiece and you can buy a box of "instant" supper and feed several people starch for the same amount. If you have access to any kind of space and can garden, do it! I save a fortune during the growing season and I've been dehydrating the excess tomatoes to throw in pasta during the winter. (I've got about $100 worth dried so far!) An added bonus is you don't have to worry whether your produce began its life in pesticide ridden soil and passed through filthy conditions before it came to you.

I've been thinking this for the last couple of years but haven't done much about it. But I do have a grapefruit tree, orange tree, several papaya plants, banana plants and a couple of avocado trees.

and there are rooftops, vacant lots, back yards, friends' back yards...

scanner.

Why in the world would anyone think Dim Son would be any different? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

EOM!

$4.20 a gallon. Cool price but way higher than what it used to be. I remember when milk was about $2.75, Im young though.

here in New York, some of the basics which I buy (bread, milk) have risen in price by 20-25% in the last six months.